Karma
by Heeygurlitsme
Summary: "Sora," I started, my eyes watery and my heart about to split in two. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" He looked away, almost ashamed, like it was his fault I was in this mess. "I don't know," his voice broke halfway through, maybe I was wrong, maybe he has changed. "I just don't know." !FOUR SHOT!


**K**_A_RM**A**

_kar·ma_

/kärmə/ noun.

_the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences_.

* * *

"No," I started, sifting through the piles of useless trivial items that had been piled atop my desk over the years. "No, no, no, no, no!"

_This is not happening, this __**can't**__ be happening._

I swallowed hard. I had left my purse at work.

Now if I lived _anywhere _but Port Tampa Bay on the North side of Destiny Islands, this would be fine, I would be completely relaxed and unconcerned about the well being of my cheap knock-off purse.

But no, I happened to live on the _one _side of the island where the law was almost the same, if not more, corrupt than everybody in the Wolf of Wall Street.

The one time I did attempt talking to a government official regarding the condition of the town, and he simply shrugged it off and said, "es lo que es," which in Spanish, means, 'it is what it is.'

Sometimes it bothered me that nobody seemed to care about the fact that the port was slowly sinking down the drain of corruption, what with the bundles of pot that got shipped in from Colombia and Cuba, I know I may tend to look the other way sometimes, partly because I know there's nothing I can do about it that I haven't already tried, and partly because I'm fairly sure the people who do the smuggling would not hesitate to stick me in an "accident" where I will no longer be a problem.

But that's not the point, the point is, my purse is at the sleazy diner I hate to call my workplace, and it probably is no longer there. Right now it's safe to assume that my purse is slung over the shoulder of some no-count JD with the looks to buy a metric ton of marijuana.

Not that I had enough money for that, but hey, it was all I had.

Which is exactly why I find myself ready to pass out from just the stress of not being able to pay my already late mortgage.

And electric bill.

And water bill.

And taxes, in general.

"Oh, no, oh no…" I said, wringing my hands and grabbing a light coat, despite the stereotypical Destiny Islands heat wave everyone liked to think happened 24/7 here, it got quite chilly at night.

_What am I thinking,_ I shook my head wearily, my arms getting cold is the absolute least of my problems, my main problem now is if my assumptions are correct, I will be living in a box for the foreseeable future.

I hurried outside, the nippy wind biting my cheeks. I ignored the cool wind and shuffled forward to the sidewalk, a distant streetlight flickering dully.

I didn't have a car, I hadn't had a car for exactly 2 years now. I walked everywhere, the grocery store, work…well that's pretty much it. I don't really go anywhere else.

My sad lonely life was the reality I was forced to face. If you would've known me in high school, or even college, you would've never suspected that I would end up like this. Everybody used to tell me, Kairi Hart, you are going to go far.

I'm not even kidding, I know it sounds corny, it even sounded that way to me back then, but they said it, and I believed it.

I could've gone far too. I had it all in the palm of my hand, I was going to a popular medical school on scholarship, I had friends, a well paying job, a steady home.

But I made a mistake.

I made a stupid, selfless mistake that I almost wished I had never made.

But I knew if I had a chance for a do-over, I would've done it again.

And again and again, over and over, because I'm just that kind of person.

I rubbed my eyes nervously and picked up the pace, noticing the dim lighting of the _Star Shack_, and hoping with all the hopes in the world that my purse would be exactly where I left it, on the table in front of the drink counter.

Perhaps even Shiki would still be there, god bless poor Shiki, being someone who had it as bad, if not worse than me. The only difference between us, was that Shiki had made some very bad decisions in her past, but those decisions don't define her now, such as how my star shiny past obviously had no impact on my present life.

Yes, there is still hope yet, Shiki usually took the night shift as well as the day shift, she was a busy woman who was almost always working, which is why we became such good friends, I often covered for her in the morning when she could hardly stand up from utter exhaustion.

By now I was running, on pure adrenaline boosted by my hope that my purse would be on the table, safe and sound.

I fumbled with the door handle, the thin layer of sweat on my hands making it difficult for me to open a simple door.

The little jingly bell that was hung on top of the door jangled when I finally swung the door open to face only a few customers. Smoke clouded my vision and I coughed quietly.

It usually only got smoky at night, when all the stoners came in with the munchies and gave us half of our business. Unfortunately for me, stoners don't leave good tips. In fact, most of them don't even bother with tips.

The bar area was the most densely clouded, instead of the usual pot smoke, it was actual cigarette smoke, making it much more dangerous and painful to inhale.

"Shiki," I coughed out, scopng out the bar scene for my peach haired companion.

I watched her appear from the back in mid-laugh, holding her stomach so she wouldn't topple over.

Her amused expression changed to confusion. "Kairi? What are you doing here?" she jogged over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, obviously sensing my distress.

"I…my purse," I said nervously, glancing around, my morale fading when it was nowhere in sight.

"Oh! That's right!" She said, clapping her hands on her cheeks. She disappeared behind the bar counter to grab something. I felt myself relax and I loosened my grip on my shirt that I didn't realize I had been fisting.

"I saw that you left it and I hid it," she explained, pushing pieces of hair that had fallen out of her makeshift ponytail. She handed me my purse with a bright smile.

"Oh thank god!" I said, my labored breathing returning to normal. I clutched my purse to my chest and offered her a weak smile.

"Thank you so much," I said, with as much gratitude as I coud muster.

"No prob. Wanna pick up the shift, or are you turning in?" She asked, putting one hand on her hip and using her other hand for hand gestures, which she found to be quite useful in everyday conversations.

"I think I'm gonna turn in," I said reluctantly, actually considering working another shift. I could sure use the money.

"Ok. Make sure you get some rest Kairi." She said with a genuine smile. I smiled back.

"Oh don't worry, I will." I said, the sleepiness evident in my voice.

It had been a long day.

Heck, it'd been a long _year._

I walked outside of the bar, with a much more upbeat attitude.

I had my purse, and I had a (leaky) roof over my head, and that was all that mattered.

I sighed, a continuous smile written on my face. I made a promise to myself that wherever I went, I would always wear a smile, it made other people around me hapy, and it made me happy.

Shiki always told me that I was too nice, too trusting. And I was, I knew I was, but I knew I didn't have the heart to change. I believe Shiki used to be like me, always seeing things on the upside, but bad things happened to Shiki, a lot worse things than anything that had ever happened to me.

I knew exactly what had happened to her, she had told me one lonely night after being dumped by her long time boyfriend, all the waking up regretting whatever had happened the previous night.

She had told me about the awful embarrassment of not being able to recognize someone when they waved to her.

Worst of all, she told me of the shame that would weigh on her shoulders whenever someone would look at her from across the street and know _exactly_ what kind of girl she was.

I hoped with all my heart that I would never have to resort to measures such as that.

I shivered again, clutching the jacket tighter to my body.

Just then, I heard heavy, clunky footsteps, drawing closer and closer with each passing second.

I turned around just in time to see a man dressed in mostly balck race past me and swipe my purse right off of my shoulder.

_You've got to be kidding me._

"Hey," I said softly, still processing the gravity of the situation.

"Hey! Give that back!" I shouted, the mysterious assailant disappearing around the corner.

"No!" I shouted pathetically, taking off and hoping to catch the theif.

Practically no one was on the streets at this time, no one to aid me. I breathed out desperately.

"Please! I need that to live!" I shouted, spotting him on the nearest avenue. I'm pretty sure he heard me, because he began laughing coldly.

"Don't we all sweetheart," he said, his voice as slimy as his actions.

Seriously world? This is the thanks I get? I get _one _lucky break, and you stab me in the neck?

I pumped my legs harder, faster. I could tell the guy wasn't very athletic, because I could hear him breathing from fifteen feet behind him.

I had almost caught up to him when he stopped abruptly, catching me off guard so I flew a few feet past him.

I turned around quickly and he shot into an alleyway, with me close on his heels.

No way was I going to take this, I was going to get my purse back if it got me murdered in the process.

"Get back here you meanie!" I shouted, maneuvering past a few garbage cans and cardboard boxes.

Finally, I caught my second break. A metal chain link fence stood in the way ofmain street, and the theif was cornered.

"Please," I started, hoping to find a sliver of humanity somewhere in him.

He looked at me, like a cornered gazelle, fear in his eyes, and I realized- he had it just as bad as me.

A crappy job, probably, a decrepit home, if any, no hope for the future. And I knew that if I could've given it to him, I would've.

But for both of us, losing was not an option.

He leapt onto the fence and climbed atop it, as slow as a wounded lemur.

I groaned and started to climb as well, although it was much more difficult for me considering I was wearing crappy flip-flops.

"Ouch," I mumbled when I felt my foot get sliced by a random metal wire.

By now the theif had barely reached the top, and I could tell he was contimplating whether or not he should jump for it or climb back down.

He took the first option and plunged down with a mighty _plop!_ Just as I reached the top.

I jumped down as well and winced when I miscalculated my own weight and felt numb pain in my ankles.

_Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!_

I ignored the dull panging in my legs and took off after him; he was now on Main Street, so I had a lot bigger chance of someone else catching him, or at least trying to help me out.

_Come on life, _I chided myself, _I don't ask that much out of you, just this once, let me-_

I stopped short when I saw the theif smash into a group of well dressed guys.

_Oh, please don't let them be mafia members…_

"Hey, what's going on here?" The tall well dressed guy inquired, taking a good look at the purse he was holding and then another look at me.

"He-," I started, but the stealer pulled away from the tall guy and shot back down the street.

I almost lost hope, but the more well-built well dressed guy reached forward, grabbed my purse-napper by the back of his jacket and lifted him up completely off the ground, then set him in front of me.

"This guy bothering you?" Well built guy asked. He had a nice, smooth voice, the kind of voice that could be a potential jazz singer.

"I-uh…yes." I said lamely, not really sure what to say. The theif was stuped and he clutched my purse, almost tighter than I had right after I had been reunited with it.

"Give the lady her purse back," the other short well dress guy said lazily, as if he did this every day for a living.

"Why should I," slimy burglar said, holding his purse away from the group of guys.

"That's a good question," the well built guy mused, "why should he give her her purse back Riku?"

_Riku…?_

"Because," the tall guy replied, enjoying the panick they got out of the theif. "It would be a bad idea if he didn't."

He mimicked punching someone and I could hear purse-stealer gulp.

"Well…I suppose something could be arranged," he added hurriedly, tossing me my purse. It was so dark I could hardly see it, but I managed to catch it without dropping any of its content.

"Alright, now apologize," short guy said. I was beginning to notice how all three of them worked together like a well-oiled machine.

"I'm sorry ma'am now I'd best be off-,"

"Hm, not so fast." Tall guy, or 'Riku' said. His voice was way too familiar, and I was afraid that he may be who I think he is…

"What's stopping us from calling the cops," short guy said, I also recognized his voice, oh dear, I really hope these people aren't who I think they are…

The theif laughed heartily, "oh…that's cute, you think the fuzz cares what's going on in this neighborhood?" He laughed again.

Well built guy laughed as well, and I felt a cold chill crawl down my spine. I knew that laugh all too well.

"Well then, let's just leave it at this. If you _ever_ bother _anyone_ again, I'll come find you. Got it?"

I knew that voice. I now recognized that smooth-as-jazz voice and I debated making a run for it right then and there.

Oh, I would do absolutely _anything_ just to be deleted from this world instantly, poof, gone, no more Kairi, she was just a figment of everyone's imagination.

"Got it." The bandit answered simply, eager to escape the stone like grip of my savior, god I hated saying it, now you can plainly see just how truly bad off I was, that my heroes were a bunch of no good-

"Bastards," the burglar snarled indecently when he was released by his captors.

_Now's my chance, if I can get away nice and quick, they won't recognize me, not one-_

"Sorry miss, are you alright?" He asked. _He _asked oh god, this is more mortifying than I could have ever imagined.

"Yeah, just fine," my voice squeaked unnatural, my fear and embarrasment both laced into every word.

"Are you sure…?" One of them asked, I'm not sure which, but I knew that if I turned around and showed my face I'd be busted so bad I'd quite possibly die on the spot.

"Posistive," I said, a little bit more confident after retaining what little dignity I had left. "I'd best be on my way,"

"You seem familiar…"

Oh no, oh _please _no, drop the subject, bid me farewell, it's only polite…

I was about to plunge into hysterics and hat one of them said next did no good to comfort me.

"Yeah, yeah you do…what's your name?"

_What's your name…_

It was done, it was over. I let my shoulders sag in defeat and I felt my breath hitch.

_This is what it feels like,_ I thought bitterly, remembering Shiki and her regrettable endeavors. _This is what it feels like to want to die, to just want to end it all._

"I'm Kairi," I said, my voice slipping a few octaves higher than it normally was. "Kairi Hikari."

I could feel their confused gazes on my back, as if saying, _no way._

No way is this Kairi Hikari, beautiful, sweet Kairi who had everything, everything she could ever want.

"Kairi…? How…what?" He asked, god…of anyone he should be _happy, _excited that I had been reduced to nothing…

"Yes, it's me. Now if you'll excuse me," I said, a bit condescendingly, still refusing to face them.

"Kairi…wait!" No way, why does _he _want me to stay, to mock me, to laugh at me, to poke fun at what I've become.

I felt a hand grab my wrist and I froze. Was he really this evil? Did he really want me to suffer this much?

"Kairi…I-I'm sorry," I heard him say in a quiet, rushed voice. I could feel his breath on my neck and I almost shivered.

Almost.

"What are you sorry for." I said flatly, not believing a single word.

"Everything, Kairi…I'm so sorry, I've wanted-,"

I shook my head quickly, tearing my wrist from his grip. "I don't want your pity Sora,"

"Kairi, please, just hear me out-,"

Still shaking my head, I finally turned to look at him, silver tears blurring my vision and unsteady breathing. "No, just…just leave me _alone._"

"Kairi," he breathed out, his friends still behind him, struck silent from the strange turn of events. "Kairi…I…"

He didn't finish, so I whirled back around and stormed back in the general direction of my house, only a few blocks away.

I was glad that he didn't follow me, _so _glad. For once in my life, he actually listened to me, but I do have to admit, it felt strange.

Now all I had left was hope, hope that Sora wouldn't come looking for me, hope that things would finally look up for me, hope for a better future.

Hope for a better life.

* * *

**A/N Hey, I'm from Tampa…it's sort of all right. So, explanation time.**

**Kat has been ****_begging _****me…(well, more like badgering) To write this idea that has been cramped in my brain for ****_ages_****…it's a bit of a darker twist on Karma, bad things happening to good people and good things happening to bad people. In case you didn't catch it, ****_yes,_**** Shiki was a prostitute. Also, I think this is going to be a four-shot, and I actually think Kat will write part two. (Once she gets back from DC, which is in like three days) so if you liked this/were intrigued by this, go ahead and click ****review****, go on, be a dear. (Ps, if you are a follower of ****_The Cabin in the Mountains…_****sorry. It's really killing me.)**

**XOXOKAREN**


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